Why it matters
The producer
Podere Ciona sits on a hilltop near Gaiole in Chianti at up to 625 metres, one of the higher positions in the Chianti Classico zone. The Gatteschi family bought a ruined farm there in 1990, rebuilt the main house over three years, and moved permanently to the estate in 1996. Their first official wine, a Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, came from the 1997 vintage. Everything since has been built on that foundation: 5.4 hectares of vines, a new cellar, and a working agriturismo called Le Diacce.
The estate is small and deliberately so. Average yields are limited to one bottle per vine. Harvest is done by hand, grapes are moved to the cellar within thirty minutes of picking, and a berry-by-berry selection takes place before the fermentation vats are filled. Ageing is exclusively in French oak: barriques, tonneaux from Allier, Nievre, Tronçais and Vosges forests, and large casks between fifteen and thirty hectolitres.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Gaiole in Chianti sits in the eastern part of the Chianti Classico zone, the designated appellation between Florence and Siena where Sangiovese has been the dominant grape for centuries. Chianti Classico DOCG covers the historical core of that territory and operates three quality tiers: Classico, Riserva, and Gran Selezione, each with progressively stricter ageing requirements.
At Podere Ciona, the vineyards occupy ground between 490 and 625 metres. That altitude slows ripening and preserves acidity in the Sangiovese, keeping the wines from the softness that lower, warmer sites can produce. The south-southwest orientation of the slopes compensates by maximising sunlight hours through the growing season, so the grapes reach full phenolic ripeness despite the cool nights.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The 5.4 hectares of south-southwest-facing vines carry four varieties: Sangiovese as the dominant planting, then Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. Yields average one bottle per vine, a figure the estate holds deliberately across all parcels.
Harvest is entirely manual. Grapes are brought to the cellar within thirty minutes of picking, and every lot goes through a berry-by-berry sorting before fermentation. This level of selection means only healthy, fully ripe berries enter the vat, which affects the clarity and depth of the resulting wine rather than just its volume.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range is built around Chianti Classico DOCG in three tiers. Sangiovese dominates each level, with fermentation in stainless steel or French oak and ageing in French oak across barrique, tonneaux, and large casks. The Classico tier is the entry point; the Riserva requires extended ageing and represents the estate's original ambition, the wine form that launched the project in 1997; Gran Selezione, when produced, draws on the most concentrated fruit from the best parcels and the longest oak programme. Across all three, the picking and selection work in the vineyard means the raw material entering the cellar is tightly edited.
Semifonte sits outside the Chianti Classico framework. It is a blend of Merlot and Alicante Bouschet: the 2018 vintage was 75% Merlot and 25% Alicante Bouschet. Where the Chianti Classico tiers are built for Sangiovese's firm tannin and high acidity, Semifonte uses the Merlot for a softer mid-palate and the Alicante Bouschet for deep colour and a certain roundness at the edges. It is the younger IGT based on Merlot and Alicante Bouschet in the range.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Semifonte is a blend of Merlot and Alicante Bouschet. It is fermented in stainless steel and aged for one year in large French oak vats. The Merlot gives it a soft, round mid-palate; the Alicante Bouschet brings deep colour and a dark-fruited fullness that fills out the back of the glass. There is no sharp tannic edge and no heavy oak character. It is accessible from release, drinks well with food, and gives a clear picture of the Gatteschis' attention to selection and cellar work without requiring the patience that the Chianti Classico Riserva rewards.